CIMA Case Study Exams Explained: OCS, MCS and SCS

Each level of the CIMA qualification ends with a case study exam: the Operational Case Study (OCS), the Management Case Study (MCS) and the Strategic Case Study (SCS). They work very differently from the objective tests, and many students find them the hardest part of CIMA. This guide explains how they work and how to prepare.

How the case study exams work

• When: case studies are sat in four windows a year, in February, May, August and November. You must pass the level's three objective tests first.
• Pre-seen: several weeks before each window, CIMA releases pre-seen material about a fictional organisation and its industry.
• The exam: a 3-hour computer-based exam split into timed tasks. Each task brings new, unseen information, and once a task's time ends you move on and cannot go back.
• Marking: answers are marked by examiners against CIMA's competencies. Results are on a scale up to 150, and you need 80 to pass.

What changes between levels

• OCS draws on E1, P1 and F1. Tasks tend to ask you to explain figures and give practical advice.
• MCS draws on E2, P2 and F2. Tasks involve evaluating options and advising managers.
• SCS draws on E3, P3 and F3. You act at board level, dealing with strategy, risk, financing and ethics together.

How to prepare

1. Analyse the pre-seen properly. Understand the organisation, its figures, its industry and its likely challenges. Do not try to predict the exact tasks.
2. Refresh the objective test knowledge. The case study tests application, but you still need the theory behind it.
3. Practise timed tasks. Each task has its own time limit, so practise moving on when time is up.
4. Sit full mock exams. Use mocks based on the current pre-seen, and have them marked.

Answer technique

• Answer the task set, for the reader named in it. A memo to a non-finance manager should be clear and free of jargon.
• Use the scenario. Refer to the organisation's own situation and figures in every point.
• Cover every part of the task. Marks are spread across the requirements, so a brilliant answer to one part cannot make up for skipping another.
• Recommend. When a task asks what to do, give a clear recommendation with reasons.

Get help

Paul William, founder of TutorPOD, holds the CIMA, ACCA and Singapore CA qualifications and teaches all three CIMA case studies, with pre-seen analysis, timed mocks and personalised feedback on your written answers. See OCS, MCS and SCS tuition, or check upcoming CIMA exam dates.